Faith at Work Steve Swanson
In The World
Bringing Sunday faith to work can cause anxiety It’s my opinion that bringing your Sunday morning faith in to the workplace often causes unnecessary uneasiness and anxiety. (I’ll get back to that in a few moments.) Although I currently work in a great environment at a Christian radio station, my working life has included stints at restaurants, a flower shop, the phone company, school bus driver, several other radio stations and a few other odd jobs. Each job has provided me with blessings and challenges. My guess is that you have had similar experiences. One common theme with each of my “real world” ex-
periences is that each is as unique and different as the people who make up the place. Every work environment brings with it the personalities of each of the individuals that are part of the company. Each place we work takes on the characteristics of the people who are involved in its day-to-day operations. Something that is common in each of my workplace experiences is that I have worked with those who share my faith and those who don’t. I expect you find yourself in the same situation today as you work. It’s far too easy to look for “Five easy steps to being a model employee, share your faith, and not offend anyone.” I don’t think such a document exists. However here are five practical considerations for you as you prayerfully live out your faith at work: • Waiting until you’ve “perfected” your faith is a worthless pursuit. None of us will ever “arrive” or “have it all together.” We’re all works in progress. • We communicate far more loudly by how we conduct ourselves than by any words we might ever speak. D.L. Moody is credited with these words (a good prayer for each of us): “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”
• Spending time with God is the single most important change agent in our lives. When we are with God, our hearts are changed, as well as our perspective and responses to others change. (There is no “shortcut” for this!) Make time alone with God your highest priority. • Pray for those you work with. Those you like and get along well with as well as those who feel like sandpaper to you. You are there for a reason. They are too! Pray for them by name. Ask God to bless them. Pray that your life will clearly point to your faith. • 3 B’s – Be Excellent. Work hard
and model excellence. Be Available. Allow the Lord to use you and treat people as the treasures they are. Be open. God has an incredible way of using those who make themselves available to him. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17 (Living Bible) Steve Swanson serves as the station manager for Family Friendly 88.3 WAFJ. He’s invested 30plus years in the world of radio and was named the Christian Music Broadcasters Program Director of the Year in 2009 and 2011. He and his wife , Susie, live in North Augusta.
March 19-April 15, 2015 Buzz on Biz
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